It was to wait for the Bolsheviks to recuperate and recover, and then transfer a million soldiers to call; It is better to strike first and take the initiative to attack in order to force them to sign a treaty, which has always been a key matter in the discussions between the Intelligence Bureau, the General Staff and the Japanese Foreign Service. Unlike Yang Rui, who was cautious about interfering in the Russian Revolution, most others believed that he should take advantage of his illness, and the Intelligence Bureau and Japan even hoped to support a White Russian Empire or a White Russian Republic to compete with the Bolsheviks, hoping to ensure peace in Central Asia.

Everything they suggested was incomprehensible to Yang Rui. Although the Bolsheviks did not grow from small to large like the Ba'ath Army, and they only gained power by chance, they could not ignore the decision-making and organizational skills of the Bolsheviks in the chaos; More importantly, the Bolsheviks did not have the 'bourgeois phobia' that Stalin called it, which is crucial, and this is the real reason why the White Army general Denikin said after the defeat: "The material conditions of both sides are to a certain extent the same, and the spirit determines the victory."

'Russians don't kill Russians' is as naïve and ridiculous as 'Chinese don't fight Chinese'. The unity of a nation and a country is not maintained by 'not killing' or 'not fighting', and disputes over ideas and interests can only be eliminated by physical annihilation. The casualties of the American Civil War exceeded that of any foreign war in which it participated, and the Northern general Sherman did much better in Atlanta than the Revival Army did in Kunming, and to this day, the movie called "The Birth of a Nation" was still sought after by the whole country as soon as it was released, and the box office was three million dollars.

In Yang Rui's opinion. The Bolsheviks were certain to win, and because of this, it was so difficult to reap the benefits of this iron-blooded, ruthless, hysterical regime. The real reason for the signing of the Brest Pact was that the Bolsheviks wanted to stabilize power. Because the soldiers did not want war at all, and whoever wanted to advocate war would be overthrown by them again; The soldiers did not want to go to war, in addition to the mistreatment of officers, the defeat of the war, and the lack of materials, the most fundamental reason was the collapse of Tsarist rule in the countryside - Stolypin's violent land reform collapsed in the war. The inability of the Tsarist and Provisional governments of the Tsarist and Provisional governments, which had been infected with bourgeois phobia by the agitators, to make the situation more and more chaotic.

Russia under the Bolsheviks was completely different from the Russia before it, the war was 'to defend the Fatherland', and 'every citizen had the duty to defend the country'. Combined with the Soviets, the Chekas, the Red Terror everywhere, bourgeois hemophobia was swept away. In other words, Russia today is completely different from the Russia it was at the time of the signing of the Brest Pact. In this case, the Bolsheviks could only suffer a defeat in a major battle, as in the Soviet-Polish war, before a border treaty could be signed. Since war is inevitable, it should be fought as much as possible in one's favor. Don't wait any longer.

After reading Hu Wenyao's detailed report, Yang Rui made up his mind to go to war. However, after reading the report, Zhang Shi thought that with the intensity and casualties of the Battle of Tsaritsyn, even if the Bolshevik army was weak in combat, it would be better not to go to war. It's not surprising that he has such a view, but fortunately he is not the prime minister.

On October 20, 1918 in the Jesus calendar, Chen Quai, China's special envoy for negotiations with Russia, who had stayed in Russia for more than a year after the February Revolution, sent a note to the All-Russian Central Committee, asking the All-Russian Central Committee to give a clear answer to the border negotiations and the signing of contracts in the Outer Northeast region, Yuz region and Turkestan region before November 10, 1918 in the Jesus calendar. If there is agreement to negotiate and sign a treaty, negotiations will begin immediately and the negotiation schedule will be determined; If it does not agree to negotiations, then the Chinese side believes that Russia will use force to resolve the border issue between the two countries. Therefore, it had to declare a state of war with Bolshevik Russia.

After the Bolsheviks seized power, Kamiev, who was in charge of negotiations with China, kept pushing back Chen's proposal for negotiations. In the end, he was replaced by Sverdlov, chairman of the executive committee, and he did not say anything about it, and under such circumstances some of China's conditions could not be discussed in detail at all, and Chen Qubing did nothing at all except to send some briefings on the situation in Russia to the country, and this time he was completely in favor of the determination of the country to resolve the border issue at an early date.

China's attitude is like this, but the Russian side feels that things are a little strange. After the revolution, in the eyes of Comrade Lenin and the members of the All-Russian Executive Committee, the question with China was the simplest and least threatening, because their purpose was clearest, and the Chinese wanted nothing more than the return of Russia to the Russian Far East and the recognition of the independence of the Trans-Caspian Oblast, the Steppe Governorate, and Turkestan. This was in fact the same strategy as Lenin's previous proclamation of national self-determination and his promise of national independence - the recognition of the independence of the border nationalities would bring them to a struggle with the White Army when they were unable to take into account their own strength, and then to take them back in the name of the union republics and in the name of an invitation to lead the way.

Therefore, the best strategy for dealing with the China problem is to delay, and delay until the internal and external troubles are resolved, and then the two major powers will decide the border through war. victory, that is, the Far Eastern Republic, the Central Asian republics were incorporated into the Soviets; If it fails, it will be the Treaty of Riga after the Soviet-Polish War, of course, this is also temporary, and if there is a chance in the future, we must get those lost territories back. The delaying tactics that have been implemented for more than half a year have been implemented very well, but now, the Chinese do not want to wait and want to confirm the matter earlier.

In the Moscow Kremlin, including Trotsky, who had previously gone out, all members of the Central Executive Committee gathered to discuss the strategy towards China and how to deal with this ultimatum of the Chinese, and Stalin, who had just returned to Moscow, once again informed all the members of the committee what he had reported to Lenin a few days earlier:

"In Tsaritsyn I met a Chinese arms dealer, who informally conveyed to me the demands of the Chinese Government that they should recognize Soviet Russia and at the same time prevent the Entente from financing the White Army from his territory, and promised to provide us with food aid of no less than 200 million poods a year to put down the weapons and ammunition necessary to quell the civil rebellion until the end of the civil war. In addition, they can provide long-term loans of no less than one billion Chinese dollars to help us restore our industry and economy, and these loans will only need to be repaid in Russian goods. ”

Stalin briefly relayed what Hu Wenyao had finally told me. Then he glanced at everyone, especially Trotsky, and saw that Trotsky said with some contempt. "We don't have to talk to the Chinese, when the White Army and the intervening armies of various countries are settled, then the next one is the Chinese army in Central Asia and the Russian Far East." I don't think that weapons can decide the outcome of a war, only people can really decide the outcome of a war. ”

Trotsky was pointing to it - when Comrade Stalin returned to Moscow, he loaded all the thirty-eight jackal chariots on the train and took them with him, nominally to defend Moscow, but secretly to get his hands on this elite army.

"The Chinese have only two choices. One is that they become another intervening country, send their troops, and finally they are defeated by us; The second way is to stand with us. Together, we will start a world revolution. Trotsky looked at Stalin and said, then he waved his right hand again, "We have lost Poland, Ukraine, Finland, and if we lose the Far East, Trans-Caspian Oblast, Turkestan." What will the people think of us? What will the leftists think of us? ”

"The problem is that we need food and weapons!" The same position as when reporting to Lenin. Stalin was fully in favor of rapprochement with China, "the timing of the ultimatum of the Chinese was very cleverly chosen, and I am sure they knew the specific content of the Brest agreement." Stalin said, "Now the place where there is grain in all Russia is on the Don River and in the North Caucasus, where there is still oil, and when November 15 comes, what will we give to the Germans?" If we don't sign a treaty with China, what will we face? The Czechs and the White Army were to the east. The Chinese were in the south, the Germans in the west, and the Anglo-French intervention forces in the north. The Soviets will be besieged on all sides!

On the other hand, if peace talks were made with China, the Far East would be returned to them, the Trans-Siberian Railway and the port of Vladivostok would be retained, and the national independence of Central Asia and the Trans-Caspian Maritime and Steppe Governors would be recognized, then we would not only be able to stabilize the Germans without a mortal threat from the south. By sending grain to Germany in order to prolong the war in Europe, capitalism will suffer even more, and at the end of the war next year we can announce the abrogation of the Brest Treaty and the proletarian revolution in Europe, which is very likely to succeed. After the success of the revolution in Europe as a whole, it will be a different matter if we look at Central Asia and the Far East......"

"Are you sure Germany will be defeated?" Trotsky asked.

"Yes, I'm sure Germany will be defeated!" Stalin replied, "The war in Europe has been fought to this day, and it is inevitable that one side will fall, otherwise the rule of the other imperialist countries will not be maintained." With both the United States and China at war, Germany can only lose. ”

"Dear Ilyich, we do not see any connection between Comrade Stalin's judgment about the defeat of Germany and the need for compromise with China. Since Germany will be defeated, then we should not worry that Germany will send troops to interfere with us. For the time being, the bitter war in Europe has made it impossible for either the Entente and the Central Powers to make up their minds to intervene in our ......"

Before Trotsky could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Stalin, who said: "Don't forget that in the war in Europe, China and Japan were the only ones that sent a limited number of troops to the war last year, and his other troops were still at home, and there were no less than 200,000 troops in Central Asia. ”

"So what?" Trotsky asked rhetorically, "The decaying monarchies of the East are not Germany. We do not think that the Chinese and Japanese armies will be stronger than the Czech Legion and the Cossack White Army! I don't even think that weapons can decide the final outcome of a war! If the Chinese and the Japanese interfere in the Russian Revolution, they will end up no different from Napoleon!

Comrades, in order to withdraw from the war, we have made huge concessions to the Allies, so that the proletarian revolution is in crisis, and we can no longer make concessions to the Chinese and Japanese. As far as the situation is concerned, their threat to us is thousands of versts away, which is inferior to even the Whites and the leftists. Why should we abandon Central Asia and the Far East because of a few words? I strongly oppose signing a contract with China, and I'm done! ”

The war in the south was urgent, and Trotsky was recalled to Moscow to find that it was a matter of impatience, and he did not think that there was any need to talk about anything with the Chinese, and there was no result for it. In his view, all foreign intervention forces have no ability or determination to overthrow Soviet power, and it is only the people who can really affect the stability of Soviet power. With the support of the people, then all enemies will not be able to escape the fate of defeat.

After Trotsky finished speaking, Comrade Lenin looked at Sverdlov, Zinoviev, Stasova, Sokolnikov, Smirga, Krestavisky, Dzerzhinsky, and Yue Fei. As well as Bukharin, Lomov, and Bubnov, it can be seen from the looks of these people that there are very few members who support peace talks with China this time. He didn't want to say anything more. Just said: "Let's vote, please raise your hand if you support negotiations with the Chinese?" ”

Lenin's voice lagged behind, and only Stalin, Zinoviev, Stasova and Dzerzhinsky raised their hands, and the other members of the committee objected. This result had long been expected by Lenin, and unlike the last time the Germans attacked the village of St. Petersburg, everyone was not at all urgent about the Chinese, and he could not help but ask another question at this time: "I would like to ask you to think about it." Where will the food that needs to be delivered to the Allies next month come from? ”

When it comes to food, everyone looks at Stalin, who miraculously got 10 million poods of grain from the south. The hunger of the urban workers has improved, and this is only for their own use, and if they have to deliver food to Germany and Vienna, it will not be enough. Look at everyone looking at Stalin. Lenin said again. "Without food, the Germans will wage war again, and although they may not be able to reach Moscow, we will at least hold on until the end of the war in Europe; If the Allies win the war, then we will conclude another, more terrible Brest Treaty......"

"Comrades, there are riots in the countryside and in the cities. Especially in the countryside, where more and more peasants are being bewitched by leftists and kulaks, I don't think the Soviets will last long under the enemy's attack on all sides. "Dzerzhinsky, the head of the Cheka, expressed his opinion, but he was only stating.

"Nope! The Red Army of the Proletarian Workers and Peasants was to repel the Germans. Until they were defeated. We will be able to take the North Caucasus and the Don region this winter in order to get food there. Trotsky spoke again. I have to remind you that members of trade unions everywhere have been conscripted. The size of the army is growing, and we already have more than one and a half million workers' and peasants' Red Army. Neither the Germans nor the Chinese can send more than half a million troops to attack us, and that is enough. By next year, the number of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army will exceed three million, and I do not think that the number of the Intervening Army will exceed a million. ”

Trotsky, who had just defeated the Czech Legion in September, could completely despise Stalin, who had been defeated in Tsaritsyn, and no one was better at fighting than him, and even though the Central Executive Committee was opposed to the hiring of old Russian military experts, he reluctantly agreed to this decision at his strong request, but in order to prevent the defection of these old Russian military experts, the troops had to send additional political commissars. Having dealt with the threat from the east, he now set his sights on the south, with the strategic aim of capturing the Don River and the North Caucasus in order to obtain Baku's oil and food in the region.

The topic of the meeting of the Central Executive Committee on the discussion of peace talks with China was quickly skipped, and no one could know what consequences today's vote would be, except for Stalin, who sneered in his heart; And the next morning, when Adolf, who was in charge of foreign affairs, was in charge of foreign affairs. Abramovich. When Yue Fei rushed to the Chinese Legation in Moscow to deliver the official reply to Chen's note, Chen sent him out of the house without moving, and immediately reported it to China.

In response to the Chinese's note, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee did not politely express regret, but warned the Chinese Government that the heroic and combative Soviet Red Army would be invincible and that any counterrevolutionary forces and foreign intervention forces would eventually be defeated.

Yang Rui is not interested in the rhetoric of the Russians, and most of the notes he has received from foreigners over the years have been hard-lined. The reason why he wanted to issue an ultimatum was because he wanted a pretext for going to war. On the day he received the reply, he made an appointment to meet with the Japanese ambassador to China, Kishigero Bihara. Unusually, he immediately demanded that the Japanese Army be ready to fight in Russia with the Renaissance Army.

Yuan Yuan was very surprised by Yang Rui, who had always refused to interfere in Russia, by saying this: "Your Excellency, is there going to be a war now?" ”

"Of course." Yang Rui sent him a telegram from Moscow, saying: "Our government has sent a note to the Bolshevik Russia that negotiations on the border issue must begin immediately, but they have rejected my proposal, and war is inevitable!" Rather than waiting for the Russians to be ready to fight, it is better to take advantage of the fact that they are not ready to fight at all. ”

"Your Excellency, where are we attacking?" Kishigero Bihara asked.

The Japanese Army and the U.S. Marine Corps had taken control of the Trans-Siberian Railway, which was not in China, but the Japanese vomited blood because the Kolchak Provisional Government did not welcome the Japanese at all, because they had rescued the Tsar and were enemies of Free Russia. This fact made the Japanese twitch in the face, and they thought that rescuing the Tsar would support a White Russian Empire, but in the end it turned out to be unpopular with the vast majority of people, even any of the Entente countries. They also don't want to think that when the tsar would have stepped down, it was the Entente, the army, and the deputies of the State Duma who collectively abandoned him, so to speak, thinking that rescuing the tsar would change Russian history.

Because of this, the Japanese plan for Siberia was greatly hindered, and the Siberian side only sent a symbolic brigade at the invitation of the United States to maintain order, and did not send 60,000 or 70,000 people at once as in history. Based on this reality, Kishigero Bihara was a little confused by Yang Rui's words, he did not understand what the Chinese wanted to do, if they really interfered, it should be the best time for the Red Russia and the Czech Legion to fight to the death in Kazan, and now the Czech Legion has lost and returned to Omsk, and it is winter soon, which is obviously not the best time to send troops.

"Russia is too big and barren, and the railway network in the east is also small, so it is useless to just make a fuss in Siberia, Red Russia will ignore you at all, and he will concentrate his forces against you after repelling other enemies, so I said before that interfering in Siberia will not lead to results." Yang Rui said, "Only when they hit Kazan on the Volga River will they feel the pressure, but Kazan is too far away, whether it is from Yekaterina or Orenburg, it is extremely difficult to hit Kazan, so ......"

Speaking of this, Yang Rui took out a map, pointed to the location of Tsaritsyn, and said: "This is only more than 700 kilometers away from the port of Atyrau, the estuary of the South Ural River, which is now controlled by our army, and the transportation is also very convenient. ”

"Your Excellency, can occupying this place make Red Russia compromise?" Kishigero Bihara did not dare to have any doubts about the great military strategist Comrade Yang Jingcheng, and his tone was completely instructive.

"Of course. Tsaritsyn is a strategic point in the entire southern part of Russia, leading not only to the Don River and Banku, but also to the North Caucasus and Baku. Russia is now full of famine, and the real place with food can only be south of Tsaritsyn, and our occupation of this place, under the control of Germany in Ukraine, is equivalent to cutting off the food supply of the whole of Russia, which is very fatal to Red Russia. In particular, according to the Brest Contract, they will have to pay a large amount of grain indemnity to Germany and Austria from the beginning of this winter.

In August, General Krasnov of the White Army tried to occupy this place without success, but after this battle, Tsaritsyn's defense was extremely weak, and the total strength of the entire southern region, including Tsaritsyn, did not exceed 40,000 men, and they were all stragglers. Also, since the government of the Russian tsar Omsk did not like it, then why not hand him over to General Denikin in the North Caucasus? He was a royalist and would have been glad that the tsar himself went to the North Caucasus. ”

According to the previous agreement, the strategy of China and Japan towards Russia is one, and now both countries are transporting troops to Kazakhstan, in New Japan, there are already eight Japanese divisions with a total strength of more than 100,000 troops, and the strength of the Baxing Army in the entire Central Asia also has ten divisions, but this is not all the troops, if it really attacks Russia, Khiva, Bukhara, and Persia will send at least one division to the north.

In addition to these twenty-one divisions, there were also Kalmyks who moved eastward. For these Mongols, winter is the best time to break the grass valley, and at the same time, they do not want the border between China and Russia to be divided by the Ural River in the south, they dream of including some places on the left bank or even the right bank of the Volga. Yang Rui did not support their suggestion to send troops before, but now that he wants to fight Charijin and occupy this place where they have lived for hundreds of years, he still has to agree to some additional requests. If you count the more than 20,000 cavalry of Kalmykia, the total strength is close to 300,000.

"Your Excellency, please allow me to report this strategy to the country." Kishigero Bihara couldn't find a reason to object, he knew that Yang Rui would talk to him about it, so he must be sure of victory. (To be continued......)